Twenty Six
by azure feathers
Summary: ways to say "I love you". MiharuxYoite. T for eventual bl
1. Ashen

Ashen

**A/N: Done without much thought as a birthday present to myself xD Set in the Nabari anime 'verse, after Yoite decides just to live the rest of his life with his friends. Part of a series of twenty-six I plan to do over... a while. Feel free to make suggestions for the next chapter. They will be themed in alphabetical order.**

**...**

On Sundays, we go to the park. Yoite likes to look at the flowers growing by the pond. He picks his way down the hill to the little buds and I can't help but stare at him, at how he smiles, and wish he did it more often. Then he looks toward me and I turn away, embarrassed; but when his attention returns to the flowers I always look back.

This particular visit we've brought a picnic basket- brown rattan, the classic red-and-white checkered blanket peeping from a corner. I unfold the blanket beside a patch of dandelions and put the basket in the middle. Yoite and I sit down on either side of it, and I chuckle at the way his face lights up, how his tongue runs across his bottom lip when I pull out the tin of okonomiyaki, even though I know he can't taste it. He blushes a little and I just laugh some more, handing him his lunch. My own rests at the bottom along with some apples, carrots, and bottles of lemonade and water. We eat and laugh and talk and when we're done we pat our bellies and pluck dandelions and make a wish every time we blow the seeds into the wind. I ask him what he wishes for, but his icy eyes glint and he shakes his head. I pout. I don't tell him what I wish for either.

Later we pack up the blanket and go down by the pond. I'm not sure if it's healthy for them, but we take turns feeding the ducks leftovers from our lunch anyway. They seem to like it. When we're all out I take my shoes off and wade in the shallows, enjoying the squishiness of the mud between my toes. I step on something sharp and Yoite has to perform super-ultra-important-medical-service-or-Miharu-will-die on my foot before it falls off, even though I insist that I'm fine and there isn't even a red mark or anything from my ordeal with the sharp thing in question. He bites his lip and I have to avert my eyes from his face before I turn red.

Eventually my feet are re-shoed and we're walking back to Tobari's house, hand in hand- or rather, Yoite looking worriedly from me to the people around us and me hanging off his arm like a toddler. Tobari greets us in that gruff way he has and goes off to do something-or-other, but Hanabusa welcomes us with open arms. She makes us tea, regardless of the fact that we just ate and drank plenty, and sits across from us on the couch as I recount the day. She sighs and mentions something about the joys of youth, although she's relatively young looking and she certainly acts it. Then she scuttles off and leaves Yoite and I to ourselves to sit in companionable awkwardness. He licks his lips and clasps his hands and I see that his sleeves are rolled up. The weird ash-gray has traveled farther up his arms now; it almost reaches his elbows. I hate it, even though saying that means that I hate a part of Yoite, which I always thought was impossible.

He looks at me worriedly for a moment and says something in a soft voice. I think it has something to do with me staring. I smile and apologize, but I don't think it sounds very convincing.

**...**


	2. Bloody

Bloody

**A/N: Another update. I figure hey, it's my birthday present to myself right? Might as well be timely... REVIEW PLEASE (for my birthday?) :D**

**...**

School is spent worrying. What is he doing? Where is he now? When can I see him? Questions whirl through my head, making me feel dizzy. I sigh and stare out the window at the birds, wishing to be one of them because I could fly away and visit Yoite. No school for me; just riding the wind and _being._

From the corner of my eye I see the teacher glaring in my direction. He has been especially annoyed with me lately, probably because I never pay attention anymore. Why should I? What's the point, anyway? The only thing of real consequence is being with Yoite, making his last weeks comfortable- the thought makes me grimace. Everything but seeing him has lost importance, and I can't remember how to care about anything else anymore. Maybe I just don't want to remember.

Raimei loudly discusses something sword-related with Gau as we walk to Tobari's house. The sound reverberates weirdly in my ears and I can't understand what she's saying because so many other thoughts are racing through my mind; I'm jolted awake when I crash into Aizawa. We both go sprawling, he in one direction and I in the other, and Raimei just laughs. I apologize quickly and offer my friend a hand to help him up. He gives me this funny look as he takes it and I wonder if he's mad at me.

Hanabusa welcomes us in her usual friendly manner and we settle down on the floor in the living room to do our homework. It's become a regular thing for us to go to Tobari's after school, although sometimes we go to my house too. It depends on the day and how anxious I am to check on Yoite. Sometimes I feel like a mother, constantly doting on her child- and sometimes I feel like that's the farthest description possible from the truth. I can never quite tell and it scares me.

It takes me about a millionth of a millionth of a second to notice that Yoite isn't present. A slew of "what if"s pop into my head, ready to be worried upon, but I push them aside. After all, he does have bodily functions to take care of, like sleep. Or going to the bathroom. Surely he could move around. It isn't like he's rooted to the spot in the living room, like he always seems to be.

Regardless, after a few uneventful minutes pass I am itching to look. I excuse myself quietly from the group and go Yoite hunting, checking all his favorite nooks and crannies in hopes of finding him there. I am about to give up the search when I hear a small cough coming from the bathroom. I feel a bit awkward as I creep up to the door, but when I see it is ajar I decide he's probably not going to the bathroom.

"Yoite?" I call from one side of the door, and a feeble wheeze answers me. My eyes widen and I push the door open further. He is slumped against the wall, his legs bent haphazardly. His hair has fallen in front of his face and in a blackened hand he clutches a tissue to his mouth, a pile of used ones building up beside him. He hacks into the tissue again and I rush to his side; when I touch his shoulder, I can feel him shaking. His eyes are wide and scared and full of tears that have yet to fall. I catch a glimpse of red in the tissue and barely manage to keep myself from gagging.

Instead I wrap my arm around his shoulders and pull him to my chest, a gesture he accepts gratefully. I suddenly realize just how frail he is, how small his arms and torso are, how delicate the thread keeping him alive really is. Then Yoite starts to cough again and I hold him just a little bit tighter, wanting to savor this precious moment.

I feel the wetness of his tears trickling down my hands and my own eyes can't help but well up too.

**...**

**A/N: Specifically critique on Miharu's IC-ness is handy. He's reeeeeeally hard to write for in character D:**


	3. Cake

Cake

**A/N: Props to Ardespuffy for the title. XD**

**Whoa, this one ended up being a little longer. I'm not complainin'.**

**...**

I am eager to get to Tobari's house on Saturday. It's Hanabusa's birthday, and we've decided to hold a surprise party for her, complete with a multitude of balloons and "How old are you now, twenty-six?"s. Tobari, with a lot of careful planning, managed to orchestrate the whole thing last week and in the subsequent days he'd been wringing his hands and nibbling his lips nervously. I often found myself wondering how it could have possibly stayed secret, when even I became jumpy around her.

Informed or not, Hanabusa had gone about her business as usual and by the time the weekend arrives nothing seems amiss. Tobari has kicked her out of the house for the day to go shopping, insisting she deserves it- though it's a lame excuse because she's never been one for fashion anyway.

I don't knock at the door and kick my shoes off recklessly when I arrive. Tobari arches an eyebrow, annoyed at the haphazard landing of my shoes on the tatami, but says nothing. I grin one of those mischievious grins I reserve especially for him before racing to the kitchen, ready to start making the cake. When I enter, however, I find some unexpected help waiting for me.

Yoite mutters a greeting over his shoulder and goes back to his work. His sleeves are rolled up, revealing ashy skin, and his arms are covered in flour up to the elbows. His hands work away at a tannish lump of dough on the counter. I notice immediately that he got his hair cut yesterday after I'd left, because it's short and angular again and doesn't hang over his face and obscure his giant smile.

"What're you doing?" I ask dumbly, not expecting to be assaulted by a sudden rush of Yoite.

"Making a cake!" His voice is clear and strong, and his cheeks are pink with exhilaration. It's a welcome change from the usual chalk-white, and I can't help but admire the rosiness.

"When did you learn to make cakes?"

"I didn't."

I blink for a moment. I've never seen him so happy before, except maybe on the first day he came to live with Tobari and Hanabusa. Even then, he wasn't so blatant about it. His brand of happiness is a soft smile and a few breathy words, and I'm not prepared for this variation.

"Can I help you?"

"Please." He splits the dough in half with a floury hand and plops it a few inches away from his own. I roll up my sleeves too, like he did, and set to work on it. He's unusually wordy today and we soon find ourselves laughing and talking the entire time until the cake goes into the oven. Then we wash our hands and wait.

Raimei and Aizawa arrive some time later, outfitted with all the craziest party gear. Well, mostly Aizawa- Raimei picked out the various bits and bobs, then forced Aizawa to carry them. He doesn't complain, though, and looks a little wistful as he plops their purchases down on the coffee table. I wonder if it's because he never has birthdays anymore. Or, at least, they don't really count because he isn't any older. I decide that whenever Aizawa's birthday happens, I'll celebrate it.

Soon the cake is ready and smells delicious. While Aizawa and Raimei decorate the living room and Tobari gripes about cleaning it up later, Yoite and I get a start on the icing. He pulls out a huge cookbook from a cabinet and I realize that's probably where he got the cake recipe from, too; he opens it to a page he'd bookmarked earlier and asks me what I think of the icing it displays. It's dark chocolate and looks absolutely delectable, and I tell him so. He smiles, pleased at my approval.

While he cuts the cake lengthwise in two even parts I heat up the chocolate. He tells me what to add over his shoulder and I do, and soon enough we're slathering the delicious-smelling icing in the middle of the cake and gluing it together again. Then I spread the remainder over the top and sides. He and I take turns sticking our fingers in the leftover icing in the bowl, and he laughs softly when I smear a bit on his nose. He gets a bit on my cheek in revenge, and I land a dot on his chin, then we have to stop because Hanabusa could come home anytime and we wanted the cake ready.

When we're done washing ourselves off Yoite reveals a box of yellow marzipan rosettes and we set about placing them artfully around the cake. He's got a knack for composition and when we're done it looks like something we'd get from the store. We take turns piping "Happy Birthday" on the top, though neither of us is any good at it and it looks sloppy. But we don't care, because we're just so proud of what we've made; both of us are grinning stupidly and looking at eachother and at the cake and itching for Hanabusa to get home.

Soon Tobari pops his head into the kitchen and tells us that she'll be here soon, and we jump up from the seats we'd collapsed in and race out to the living room with the cake. The room looks amazing, adorned with balloons and streamers and all manner of party paraphernalia, and when we set the cake down on the yellow tablecloth I just have to spin around and take in every little detail. Then we settle down into chairs and wait.

Raimei has to hold back a gasp when we hear the door open. I can hear Hanabusa chuckle, presumably at my shoes tossed carelessly to the floor, and the crinkle of a bag being set down alerts me that she's nearing us. As soon as she enters, we jump up.

"SURPRISE!" Crows Raimei, and the rest of us join in somewhat less glaringly. Hanabusa's face lights up like nothing I've ever seen before and her eyes tear up a little, and we're laughing and talking and pushing her toward the cake. Tobari lights the yellow and white candles and we're singing and she's crying and then we eat. The cake is delicious and most; a little too sweet and burnt at the edges, but it's the best thing I've ever tasted because Yoite and I made it together. I think he thinks so too, even though I know he can't taste it, and he asks for seconds. I do too.

While she's opening the presents, though, a small, shallow part of me starts feeling jealous. Why is Yoite so happy? Why now? Why not when I take him to the park or laugh with him or hug him when he's in pain? I glance out of him from the corner of my eye, a frown creeping on to my face, and surprisingly he's looking at me too. He smiles softly, one of those special smiles he only lets me see, and I feel his fingers curl around mine and squeeze tight.

I decide it's just because he's having a good day.

**...**

**Please forgive my blatant disregard for any Japanese birthday traditions and such, if they're different. It just seemed like such a perfect situation... xD**


End file.
